Silent Predator
by Syana Harper
Summary: Someone is making life suspiciously hard for Rhiana and Tim and the FBI gets involved!
1. Chapter 1

NCIS

A knock on the door alerted Rhiana that Tim had arrived. "Oh, _shoot_!" she whispered and secured her earrings. Smoothing out her simple skirt and blouse, Rhiana checked her image in the mirror once more before going to the front door. Opening it, she saw Tim waiting on her, his clothes semi-formal as well. McGee looked up and smiled.

"Are you ready?" he asked and Rhiana smiled back at him. Snatching her purse before closing the door and locking it, Rhiana made sure nothing was out of place before she turned back to Tim.

"You look wonderful," she complimented and color flushed Tim's cheeks for a moment. He half-smiled; Rhiana loved that smile.

"You look stunning yourself," McGee said and offered his arm. Rhiana looped her arm through his and they walked down the steps towards his car. Rhiana's eyes went wide.

"Holy _cow_, Tim; you drive one of those?" she asked and slid into the passenger seat of the silver Porsche Boxster. McGee merely smiled as he shut her door and walked calmly over to the driver's side. Getting in, he started the engine and Rhiana smiled as she listened to the smooth engine.

"Yeah, you like it?" he asked and Rhiana flashed him a brilliant smile.

"I love it!" she said and Tim pulled away from the house.

----

Tony looked at his watch and sighed as he waited outside of Friday's with Ziva. "What's taking them so long? Rhiana doesn't live that far away," Ziva said as Gibbs appeared beside her.

"I've got the tables, are they here yet?" he asked and they heard a familiar voice.

"I'm here!" Abby shouted and jingled down the sidewalk towards them. She huffed and used a lamp post for support before she finally stood beside Ziva.

"That makes all but two," Tony said and looked impatiently down the street. A silver car suddenly jetted past and it pulled into a parking spot across the street. McGee got out first and opened the door for Rhiana; she looped her arm through Tim's and they walked briskly across the street. Abby momentarily frowned at the sight, but soon put her emotions aside as Rhiana approached her for a hug.

"Hey, Abby; I hope we didn't keep you waiting long?" Rhiana asked and Abby shook her head.

"No, I actually just got here myself. I think Gibbs has been here the longest," Abby said and motioned towards the other three. Rhiana hugged Tony and Ziva, but left Gibbs alone as they entered the restaurant.

-

"And what would your group like to drink?" the waiter asked and everyone voiced their options quickly, it started with Abby.

"Mountain Dew, please." Then it went to Tony.

"Dr. Pepper, thank you."

"Just water, thanks," Ziva said.

"Water as well," McGee ordered.

"Coffee, black," Gibbs said and kept browsing the menu.

"Coffee, ¼ cup cream," Rhiana ordered happily and the waiter wrote that down.

"I shall return shortly, please have your orders ready," the waiter said and everyone began talking instantly.

"Rhiana, let me clear this up first for everyone," Tony said and Rhiana raised an eyebrow in his direction. "What's with the coffee thing? Are you dependant on it or something?" he asked and Rhiana hid a smile.

"Like I told Tim, it's my dad's fault. He had a routine of reading his newspaper every morning with a cup of coffee. I tried it out, added cream for flavor and here I am today. I don't _need_ the coffee, but it's so much of my routine, that it's pure habit that I order that," Rhiana said and Ziva laughed gently.

"You can form coherent thought, unlike Tony," Ziva shot at Tony and got a fun glare in return. Abby raised her hand and Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"We aren't in school, Abs, say what you want," Jethro said and Abby lowered her hand, slightly embarrassed.

"I was just wondering, how we all got the same day off?" she asked and everyone thought about it for a moment, and then looked at Gibbs with questioning looks. Surprised by the betrayal, Jethro soothed their emotions.

"There are other agents and technicians at NCIS to cover us for a day. I talked with Director Vance; he said it was fine," Gibbs said and everyone simmered their feelings as the waiter came back with a tray full of their drinks.

"Is everyone ready to order?" the waiter asked and they all spoke once again. The waiter patiently wrote down their choices and disappeared again, leaving them to talk.

"I know this is hard, but how did your parents take the news last month, Rhiana?" McGee asked and Rhiana didn't miss a beat, but Ziva noticed the sadness creep into her expression.

"They bawled their eyes out, of course. However, they were glad that it didn't take that long to figure out who committed the murder. They send their thanks gratefully, guys," Rhiana said and took a small drink from her coffee. Ziva gently kicked Tim underneath the table and glared at him for bringing up the topic. McGee glared at her for a brief second before the conversation turned.

"Tony's a movie buff, I bet he can guess what movies you have in your collection," Abby suggested and Rhiana's eyes lit up at the subject.

"He can, oh _really_?" Rhiana asked and gave Tony a sly look.

"Uh-oh, can I bail out? I don't like the way she said that, boss," DiNozzo said and Gibbs merely smirked at him.

"This is a night out with friends, Tony, join in the fun," Jethro said and Rhiana grinned at Tony.

"All right, movie boy, what movie stared three witches that ate children's souls?" Rhiana challenged; Tony stalled and Abby answered first.

"Hocus Pocus!* I loved that movie!" Abby said proudly and Rhiana pointed towards Abby.

"And the quickest gets the points," Rhiana said and Tony glared at Abby for a brief second as Rhiana began to ask the second question as their food arrived. Dropping the challenge, the group enjoyed their food with minimal conversation.

__________

*Sean Murray portrayed Thackeray Binx (as a human) in the 1993 Disney movie _Hocus Pocus_.


	2. Chapter 2

NCIS

"Oh, Rhiana, I had a great time! I'll see you at work tomorrow?" Abby asked and hugged Rhiana tightly. Nodding, Rhiana unlatched Abby's arms from around her and smiled.

"Of course I'll be there, Abs. I'll see you later, Ziva. I won't forget that movie challenge, Tony," Rhiana said and waved good-bye to Gibbs. The small groups departed as McGee escorted Rhiana across the street to his car. Being a gentleman again, Tim opened the passenger door for Rhiana and she slid into the seat once more; Tim rushed to the driver's side and got in.

Rhiana smiled at him as he started the car and she rolled the window down; it was a warm night and she needed some air. Buckling her seatbelt, Rhiana rested her elbow on the armrest and held her chin in her hand as she gazed out into Washington, DC. Tim glanced over at Rhiana and slowed down a gear as he neared her house. Noticing the change in pitch from the engine, Rhiana broke from her trance and looked at McGee.

"What's wrong, Tim?" she asked and Tim parked in her driveway; McGee sighed and turned the engine off.

"You had a fun time, right?" he asked and Rhiana laughed lightly, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Of course I did," she said and placed a hand on Tim's arm. "I'm not mad at you that you brought up Ben. It's good to grieve every once in a while," Rhiana said and got Tim to look at her; he still looked slightly sad.

"Are you sure? Because, admit it, it was kind of stupid," McGee said and Rhiana laughed openly this time, sliding to almost sit in the foot well.

"Timothy McGee, you are the funniest person I have ever known," she laughed and continued her giggling fit until she saw Tim chuckle. Composing herself slowly, Rhiana opened the door and looked back into the car at Tim. "Aren't you going to come inside?" she asked and Tim was brought from _his_ trance. Looking at Rhiana, he nodded and got out of the car himself. Shutting the doors and locking the vehicle, McGee escorted Rhiana to the door as she rummaged for her keys.

"Having trouble?" Tim asked and Rhiana grumbled as she finally found her house keys.

"It's just that I have a habit of buying so many keychains, I can never find anything in my purse. I use to have a clip that I'd put my keys on, but that got lost, too," Rhiana explained and unlocked her front door.

----

Walking in, Rhiana was greeted by her cat, AJ. "Hey, sweetie," she mumbled as the cat begged for attention as it say upon the table that was beside the door. Sleepily, Rhiana found her way to the kitchen and rummaged for a Dr. Pepper from the fridge. Setting that on the counter, she completely forgot about McGee as she made her way to her room.

Changing into a pair of cotton PJ pants and long sleeved shirt, Rhiana exited to find that Tim had found a comfortable place on her couch; he was browsing through the evening news stations. "Find anything interesting yet?" she asked and heavily sat down beside him.

"Not really," he mumbled and the wear of the day finally started showing; Rhiana felt bad for not letting him go home.

"Tim, I'll understand if you want to go home to sleep. Last I checked, you haven't secretly left any clothes here and you have to live about 20 minutes away. It won't be a problem if you go home," Rhiana said and lightly touched Tim's arm again, drawing his attention towards her.

"No, it's okay Rhiana. I'm just thinking back to a few things."

"Such as…?"

"When we had coffee together, when I gave you that book," Tim said and Rhiana furrowed her brow. Getting up, she walked to a bookshelf and retrieved _Deep Six_ from it. Walking back over to the couch, Rhiana sat down and opened the book to where it had been signed.

"You know, I've never opened it. To read it, I mean," she said and Tim just gawked at her in shock.

"I thought you _wanted_ to read it!" he said and Rhiana just smiled at him, calming his emotions and smoothing out the proverbial 'ruffled feathers' look.

"Tim, honestly, with work _and_ looking after you, I don't have time to even read the first page," she said and laughed gently. Rhiana closed the book and placed on the coffee table in front of her. Rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn, Rhiana stood once more, remembering that she had a Dr. Pepper sweating cold water onto her countertop.

"Looking after _me_? I can take care of myself, Rhia," McGee said, unaware he had used a nickname. Rhiana paused to look at him as she leaned against the kitchen counter, resting her chin in her hand, smiling.

"Is my name Rhia now?" she asked and kept smiling as she poured the Dr. Pepper into two glasses; Tim was baffled as to why she would ask that. As she returned, Rhiana sat close to McGee and handed him a cold glass of soda. "You called me _Rhia_, Tim," she explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Do you not like that nickname?" he asked quickly, hoping he had not offended her.

"It's fine, Tim. It's very nice; my brother had more embarrassing nicknames for me." Rhiana took a drink from her glass and set it beside the book on the coffee table. Settling her back against McGee's side, she was comfortable and soon asleep.

Tim wanted to adjust his position because his arm was asleep, but he didn't want to wake Rhiana. Groaning inwardly, Tim pushed on Rhiana's small weight and slid out from under her. Lowering her gently to lay down, Tim quickly found a pillow and then a quilt hanging over the back of the couch. AJ meowed and pounced onto the couch, flicking his tail and watching every move that McGee made.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving soon," Tim assured the cat and gently kissed Rhiana's forehead before grabbing his coat and keys. Closing the front door behind him, McGee locked it with the key Rhiana had given him and then headed for his car. "She's probably going to kill me for leaving, but she's right, I _don't_ have any clothes stashed away," he mumbled when he felt a sudden pain course through his entire body.


	3. Chapter 3

NCIS

Rhiana heard glass break and was instantly awake. Throwing away the cover, she grabbed her service weapon and rushed to her front door. Jerking forward because it was locked, Rhiana cursed Tim for his good manners and twisted the deadbolt open. Opening her door, Rhiana scanned quickly for someone other than McGee in her front lawn; someone was rummaging through Tim's car. "NCIS; don't move!" she announced and the person turned, lifted a weapon at her, and fired; the shot was inaccurate as she ducked to a crouch.

Rhiana's world suddenly slowed to almost a standstill as the adrenaline pulsed through her. She could see every moment in super slow motion, every twitch of muscle underneath the suspect's clothes. Taking aim, Rhiana squeezed the trigger gently and the bullet sped towards its target. Watching as the adrenaline rush faded, the world righted itself into regular speed and Rhiana approached the man that had been going through Tim's vehicle. Kicking the weapon away with her bare feet; that was going to leave a bruise, Rhiana reached for McGee's cellphone from the car as she kneeled on the person's shoulder.

Dialing 911, she got an immediate answer. "911, what is your emergency?" a woman asked and Rhiana glared down at the man.

"This is Agent Rhiana Stoller of NCIS. I'm requesting an ambulance at my home address. I have two injured; one has been shot and the other is unconscious, I'm not sure of his condition," Rhiana said as calmly as she could as she held a steady gun against the man's chest; he didn't fight her when he felt the weapon press against his skin.

"Okay, ma'am, there are police and ambulances on the way. Is there anything else I can do?" the woman asked and Rhiana breathed out a shaky sigh.

"Yes, I would like you to contact NCIS Special Agent Jethro Gibbs."

"The call is being routed, ma'am. Would you like to speak to him?"

"Yes, thank you," Rhiana said and heard police sirens.

The phone rang once… twice… a third time when Jethro picked up.

"Hello?" he asked and Rhiana cried happily.

"Gibbs, something happened. Tim's hurt, and I need you to come to my house. Please," Rhiana pleaded and only heard a dial tone; he was on his way.

----

Jethro slammed the phone down and grabbed his badge and gun. Closing the door forcibly on his way out, Gibbs dialed Tony's cellphone number. "Hello?" a sleepy DiNozzo answered and Jethro was furious.

"Tony, get out of bed and get to Rhiana's house, something happened," Gibbs ordered and heard Tony fall out of bed in his hurry to get ready.

"I'll be there, boss," Tony said and hung up the phone; Gibbs then dialed Ziva's number, hoping the Mossad liaison was a light sleeper.

"David," a surprisingly alert voice asked.

"Ziva, get to Rhiana's house." He didn't have time to say more as he heard a door open, slam, and then a vehicle start. "You don't sleep much, do you?"

"Alert is my way of life, Gibbs," Ziva said and ended the call. Gibbs jogged to his vehicle and started it quickly. This was a very strange phone call he had gotten from Rhiana, and besides the fact he had just walked in the door when the phone rang. "_The way she sounded was very unnerving_," he thought as he sped towards Rhiana's house. Taking care to obey the traffic laws, he soon saw police and ambulances gathered outside Rhiana's house, along with Tony and Ziva.

Pulling to a stop, Gibbs parked the car and hopped out quickly, jogging over to the scene. Ziva saw him first and elbowed Tony as she tended to Rhiana. "Go tell him what happened!" Ziva hissed and Tony turned towards Jethro, preparing to tell him when Gibbs pushed past them both to look at McGee as the EMT prepared to load him into the ambulance; he was awake.

"Hey, boss," Tim said weakly and Gibbs halted the EMTs for a brief moment as he talked to McGee.

"Why didn't you stay in the house, McGee?" Jethro asked and Tim snorted, almost unwilling to divulge personal information with his boss.

"I don't have any clothes here. She fell asleep on my arm, boss," McGee said and Jethro resisted the urge to smack him. Signaling to the EMTs that he could be loaded now, Gibbs made his way over to a shaking Rhiana. Kneeling beside her, Jethro gently touched her shoulder. Rhiana gasped and looked at him with upset and wild eyes.

"How… how…" she stuttered and Gibbs guessed what she was trying to ask.

"McGee's fine, Rhiana, they're just taking him to a local hospital to be checked out. I'm sure they're going to send him home with a good bill of health and a bottle of pain killers. What happened here, Agent Stoller?" Gibbs asked as Tony and Ziva gathered around slightly, almost blocking the on-site questioning from view.

----

"Well, Tim and I were just sitting on the couch when I apparently dozed off. I guess he got up to leave when I heard glass breaking. I grabbed my service weapon, ran outside, saw _that guy_," Rhiana spat, pointing to the second ambulance, "going through Tim's car. I announced that I was NCIS, he turned a weapon on me, took a shot, and I returned fire. I've… I've never shot anyone before…" Rhiana finished and Ziva sat down beside her.

"Rhiana, it's hard, I know. But you did a great job protecting Tim," Ziva said and hugged Rhiana slightly with one arm.

"I couldn't have done a better job myself," Tony offered and Rhiana glared at him. Taking the hint, Tony skirted around the Porsche to look at the damage done to the precious car. Rhiana thought hard, trying to dig up anymore information from her experience that she might have missed.

The sound of glass shattering, the locked door, _opening_ the door, scanning for hostiles, a black van….

"_Wait…a _black_ van? Where did that come from?_" she asked herself and got up from the bench that was on the sidewalk beside her house. Ignoring Gibbs' order to sit back down and calm her nerves, Rhiana dropped the emergency blanket and walked across the street. Quickening her pace, she knew Ziva, Tony, and Gibbs were following her.

"Rhiana Stoller! Stop walking this instant!" Gibbs shouted and Rhiana kneeled beside the curb, running a hand at the edge of the skid marks. Hearing the others gather around her, she looked back at Gibbs and stood.

"I remember a black van sitting here. Right before I announced myself, I saw a van sitting here," she explained and the three agents approached the new scene with caution. Rhiana cringed as she felt the headache that followed adrenaline rushes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. Squatting again, Rhiana rolled back to sit on the ground. Holding her head, Rhiana groaned as she tried to straighten out her suddenly blurry vision. Ziva kneeled beside her and offered a hand.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked and Rhiana waved her off.

"Sure, once this headache goes away," she mumbled and Tony suddenly appeared with a bottle of water and aspirin.

"I know one of the EMTs. I bummed you a Tylenol before they took McGee to the hospital," Tony said and Rhiana held out her hand, felt two pills drop into her hand and then the bottled water after she had put the pills in her mouth.

"That bad of a headache, wow," Ziva said and helped Rhiana to her feet. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Rhiana made it back to her house, gathered AJ in her arms, and walked into her living room; Ziva and Tony followed.

"Holy _cow_, that's a lot of movies," DiNozzo complimented and heard Rhiana slam her bedroom door shut. Gibbs walked in and saw the two agents standing in the middle of the living room.

"I want you two to stay _here_. If Agent Stoller tells me tomorrow she was kept up by your bickering, I won't be very happy," Jethro said and the two nodded.

"Got it, boss," they both said and Tony started browsing the movie selection.


	4. Chapter 4

NCIS

The TV flashed and emitted low sounds as Tony and Ziva watched _Pulp Fiction_. "What is going on here? I thought he _died_ earlier in the film!" Ziva protested and almost managed to grab the DVD remote when DiNozzo held it away from her.

"Just watch the movie, Ziva!" Tony said and the Mossad liaison grumbled as she tried to keep up with the confusing movie. As the credits rolled, Ziva heard Rhiana's door open. Turning, she saw the small girl walk into the kitchen and grab a cup from the cabinet.

"We didn't wake you, did we?" Ziva asked and Rhiana shook her head.

"No, I just have a headache again," Rhiana said quietly and retrieved the bottle of aspirin from the shelf. Tony paused the movie and Rhiana saw what the two of them were watching. Smirking, she told them good night and went back to her room. Ziva turned back to the TV and continued to watch the confusing movie once more.

----

Rhiana woke to the wonderful smells of breakfast and realized she was starved. Throwing herself into the bedroom's shower, Rhiana felt better as she exited and put on some decent work clothes. Finishing her subtle make-up, Rhiana grabbed her jacket and headed out into the main part of her house. What surprised her was that Tony was the one making breakfast instead of the careful Ziva, who had helped herself to a bowl of cereal. Looking up, Ziva had a surprised look on her face as she saw Rhiana dressed so nicely. "It's a change, isn't it?" she asked and twirled, showing off the black dress pants, light purple v-neck shirt, and brown boots.

"Very interesting choice, considering you've always stuck to casual jeans and shirts," Tony complimented and offered her some eggs. Sitting at the table, Tony loaded her plate down with eggs, bacon, and French toast. Thanking DiNozzo, the three sat at the table when Tony remembered something he had forgotten to give Rhiana. Returning a minute later, he set down a cup of coffee that was tan from cream.

"Oh, Tony, thank you!" Rhiana said happily and smiled at him as she took a drink. Giving an approving nod, the three ate their breakfast in peace when a knock came from the front door.

"I'll get it," Ziva said and stood from the table. Walking to the front door, Ziva peeked out and saw Tim standing there. As McGee looked up, he raised an eyebrow at Ziva's presence.

"O… kay… what's going on here?" he asked and Ziva opened the door to invite him in. Guiding him to the kitchen, Ziva began to explain when Rhiana saw that it was Tim.

"Tim, you're okay!" she said and darted towards him to give him a tight hug. "I was so worried!" she said and McGee hugged her back.

"Hey, it's okay. They just sent me home with some pain pills. I decided to come back to make sure you were okay," he said and Rhiana gave him another tight squeeze before letting him go. Tony saw it was Tim and made another plate of food. Setting it at another side of the table, the four were soon sitting at the table, discussing what had happened.

----

"I was about to get in my car when I was apparently struck with the perpetrator's weapon. Next thing I know, I'm being loaded into an ambulance with Gibbs talking to me. They took me to the emergency room, checked me over, and sent me home just a few hours ago," McGee explained and Rhiana remembered the details he happened to forget.

"You should be glad Rhiana's a good shot, McGee. She's the one that took down your attacker," Tony said and McGee looked at Rhiana with surprise.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Tim asked; that got him a smart kick from Ziva.

"No, it didn't kill him. I don't know what they did with him after they treated him. But there was also a black van parked across from my house last night. I remembered it after-the-fact. It was really weird," Rhiana said and raised an eyebrow as another knock came from the front door. Rushing to answer it, Rhiana peered out like Ziva did and saw Jethro standing there.

"Is everyone here?" he asked and Rhiana finally saw that her driveway was full.

"Yeah, Tim just got here a few minutes ago," Rhiana said and invited Gibbs to join them at the table.

"Boss, I swear we didn't wake her up while watching _Pulp Fiction_!" Tony said the second he saw Gibbs. Rhiana laughed and agreed, saving Tony from a smack in the back of the head. Jethro smirked as he sat at the table as well, waiting for someone to start a conversation.

"Are you sure you're okay, McGee?" Gibbs asked and Tim nodded.

"Minor headaches, but nothing I can't handle, boss," Tim said and Rhiana shuddered at the memories that were just hours old. She rested her chin in her hand as she thought about the black van she had momentarily seen the night before. Furrowing her brow, Rhiana tried to remember a license plate or vehicle brand.

Black van, rail on top, Ford insignia on the left hand back door, and basic tires; Rhiana tried to remember more, but drew a blank as she opened her eyes to see everyone looking at her. "What is it, Agent Stoller?" Gibbs asked and Rhiana sighed.

"It's a black or dark blue Ford model van with a rack on the top. That's all I can remember from the brief second I saw it," she offered and folded her arms on the table, seeing if she could remember more.

"Well, we've got people on the tire tracks from last night, the man that hit McGee is awaiting questioning at NCIS, and it will be transferred to our control once we all report in for work," Jethro said and that was everyone's cue to finish breakfast.

"Tim, you're riding with me. I suspect they took your poor Porsche into custody because of what happened," Rhiana said and shrugged on her light coat. Tim raised an eyebrow but submitted because he _had_ taken a cab to get here. The other three disbanded from the table and went to their own vehicles while Rhiana locked up before getting into her vehicle.


	5. Chapter 5

NCIS

McGee held tightly onto the door handle as Rhiana swung a curve before slowing to enter the parking building. Heatedly, she scanned her ID card and the gate lifted, permitting her into the garage. Taking her Camaro to the highest floor that still had shade, she parked quickly and sighed as she shut the engine off. Looking over at McGee, she couldn't help but giggle at his expression. "You look scared, Tim," she said and he glanced over at her.

"You drive pretty fast, Rhia," he breathed and got out of the vehicle. Rhiana smiled at the nickname and followed the actions.

"Not afraid of my driving, are you?" she asked and looped her arm through Tim's.

"Not really, but I know you're upset about last night. I'm alive," Tim cringed as he got a headache, "and mostly intact. The doctor said I might have headaches for about a month, but I'll be fine." Tim kissed Rhiana's forehead before they entered the elevator and continued down to the ground floor.

"But you aren't okay _now_, Tim. I should have left you at home. You know that Gibbs won't allow us to be on this investigation!" Rhiana argued and let her arm fall from McGee's. "We'll just sit by and not be able to do anything!" she sighed as they walked through the front doors. Keeping silent as they entered another elevator, Tim pressed a button and they waited patiently for the doors to open again.

"You know Abby's going to hug us to death once that door opens, right?" Tim asked and arched a playful eyebrow. Rhiana stopped her thinking and looked up as the elevator dinged.

"Oh, _crap_," Rhiana said quietly and they were greeted by an anxious Goth, who was to the point of exploding if they hadn't been the next people she had seen exit the elevator. Dragging them both out, Abby hugged McGee tightly first and then Rhiana.

"Gibbs told me what happened! I was so worried! Why didn't you guys call me? I could have helped too!" Abby said and Rhiana patted her lightly on the back.

"Well, even you need sleep, Abby. Besides, I knew that Gibbs would take care of everything," Rhiana said and Abby stepped back to look them both over. Deciding that their current state was acceptable, Abby jingled away, leaving Tim and Rhiana in stunned silence as Gibbs appeared behind them.

----

"McGee, what are you doing here?" Tony asked as Tim sat down at his desk; Rhiana had gone to the basement for her work day.

"Rhiana brought me here, and I had a clean report from the doctor, so it's fine that I'm here," Tim said and Gibbs looked at him as McGee had another pain from a headache.

"But you aren't going into the field, McGee," Gibbs said and raised a hand before Tim could protest. "Just bring up what's supposed to be on that TV," Jethro suggested and McGee sighed in defeat. He brought up the information as needed; the first to appear was the man who hit him.

"The man that attacked you, his name is Isaac Boggs. He's been arrested for malicious attacks, theft, grand theft auto, and armed robbery. The last time he was in jail was two months ago, where he got off for making bail. He's been quiet ever since, until, of course, last night. During his interview, he mentioned that he doesn't know who makes his bail, but he doesn't ask and doesn't care," Ziva said and McGee soon brought up the pay details of Boggs' bail reports.

"It never says who pays it, but it's paid in cash by a man who never identifies himself. How _Pulp Ficion_-ish," Tony said and Ziva gave him a look; she still hadn't understood that movie. McGee raised an eyebrow at the comment, but left it alone as he saw Rhiana rush from the elevators and over to his station. She placed her laptop in front of him and politely explained her sudden appearance.

"Someone got a hold of my laptop and destroyed its contents," she growled and Tim quickly opened the notebook carefully.

"Did you… never mind, I know you back up your files," Tim said and viewed the distorted screen with a confused look upon his face. "Why did your laptop do this?" he asked and Rhiana smirked.

"When I got my FBI friend to update it last, I also had her upload a destructive firewall that fries my computer whenever someone tries to access certain files without my permission. It did what it was supposed to, thankfully," Rhiana said and McGee looked at her with surprise.

"What about your laptop?" he asked, looking at the smoking ruins.

"I have a 1 terabyte external hard drive that has every file that was on my laptop up to yesterday morning. And once that firewall destroys _that_ notebook, it sends an alert to my company, and they send me another one," Rhiana explained and Jethro interrupted the two computer geeks.

"Do you mind translating?" he asked and Rhiana smiled as McGee sighed.

"It means someone tried to break into Rhiana's laptop without her permission. Once that happened, the computer self-destructed, sent a report to her company, and she's going to have a new laptop by this evening," Tim said and Gibbs nodded.

"And would you have any idea who would try to do that?" he asked and took a sip of coffee; Rhiana eyed the foam cup and gathered herself before speaking.

"Not really, everything on the hard drive is completely destroyed. The firewall is so destructive; it melts the wiring because of the overload. We'd have to wait for when the new laptop and report comes in this evening," Rhiana said and sighed; this was going to be a long case, she could feel it.


	6. Chapter 6

NCIS

Rhiana twirled absently as she fiddled with a pen in the basement. She was supposed to be upgrading the firewalls, but she had done that when she arrived for work. Now she had nothing do to except drink her coffee and occasionally read the newspaper. Suddenly, her cellphone began ringing in her pocket; the ring tone told her it was McGee. Answering it, Rhiana stifled a yawn. "Yes, Tim?" she asked and rolled over to her computer.

"_Your new laptop came in earlier than we thought. They're up here now waiting on a signature,"_ Tim said and Rhiana raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be right there," she said and ended the phone call. Grabbing her coffee and external hard drive, Rhiana stepped into the elevator and waited patiently for the right floor. Hearing it ding on the morgue level, Rhiana made room for Palmer, who had some bags in his hands. He saw her look and smiled.

"Just… taking some stuff to Abby," he said and Rhiana nodded, but took a cautionary step away from Jim as he exited on the floor Abby's lab was on. Waving until the doors closed, Rhiana breathed a sigh and stepped out of the elevator on the main floor. Spying her usual delivery man, she smiled happily.

"Hi, Tommy!" she said enthusiastically and gave him a hug. Tommy smiled as he handed her the form to sign.

"Hey, Rhiana, I see you fried another computer," he said and Rhiana playfully elbowed him in the ribs. Jumping away from the familiar move, Tommy handed Rhiana her new laptop and headed for the elevators. Removing a small knife from her pocket, Rhiana sliced the tape open and eagerly removed the layer of protective foam around her laptop. Sitting in a chair that was available, Rhiana set up her notebook and soon attached the external hard drive. Loading everything onto it, from pictures to the destructive firewall, Rhiana was soon happy to find herself a new laptop.

Glancing at the report, Rhiana removed the external hard drive and shut down her computer. Reading over it, she kept everyone waiting as she finally handed the report to McGee to translate into English for Gibbs. "Well, what did you find, McGee?" Gibbs asked and Tim looked up at him.

"It seems that someone used an IP address that traces back to a library on the Virginia Tech campus. They were just proving they could do it," Tim said and Tony was confused.

"I thought you said that the firewall only went haywire when someone went after certain files on your computer," he questioned and Rhiana glanced over at Tim.

"He's right, you know. The only files that set the firewall off are things that pertain to work or personal information. The only thing that's on here about work is the case about my brother; suspects and all that. But why would they be after that?" she asked and someone exited the elevator.

"That's what we want to figure out," a familiar voice said and Rhiana turned.

"Elizabeth!" she said and hugged her friend tightly.

----

Gibbs stood waiting for someone to explain something and Ziva noticed first, who nudged Rhiana in the side, pointing out the obvious. "Agent Gibbs, this is Elizabeth Khushrenada. She's the one that updates my laptop. I guess when I burned out my fifth notebook, she began to take notice," Rhiana explained and Elizabeth nodded.

"Is there a place where we could talk in private?" Elizabeth asked and Jethro led them to an office that was just to the side; McGee, Tony, and Ziva followed. After sitting down at the oval table, Elizabeth began to explain.

"Once Rhiana burns out her fifth notebook, a warning is sent directly to me. We're sent the report, the IP address, everything that you hold in your hand right now. I was on edge when Benny was killed, so I knew this was a possible result of it. Since I got the report before you did, we were able to contact our Virginia field office and inform them of what happened.

"They brought in a freshman, who admitted everything. He said someone paid him $10,000 to hack into your laptop. He was never given a reason why; just took the money and did what he was told. We tried to lift some prints off the money, but all we found were smudges and the students'. Are you sure Ben wasn't into anything that might trigger these events?" Elizabeth asked Rhiana, who was deep in thought.

"Not that I'm aware of. After his death, nothing popped up on my radar as strange or out of place. Do you have any ideas?" she asked openly and Elizabeth opened her pink laptop.

"A few days ago, the FBI was attacked and the only file that was partially accessed was yours. Do you have any idea why?"

"No idea; but that's probably how Boggs knew where I lived," Rhiana growled and McGee touched her arm lightly, trying to calm her down. Gibbs spoke up to call out a suggestion.

"Bring him in for questioning," he said and Elizabeth gave him a skeptical look.

"But they already interviewed him, and he's in county lock up at the moment."

"Then say we need to ask him a few more questions," Gibbs almost snarled and stood to leave. Tony and Ziva looked at each other, unsure of what was pushing Gibbs' buttons. They didn't say a word as they exited the room before anyone else.


	7. Chapter 7

NCIS

Rhiana grabbed her laptop and stormed out after Ziva and Tony, but she didn't want to talk to them. Heading for the elevators, tears stung her vision as she briskly walked through the work stations.

Why was her file the only one touched?

_Who_ could she trust?

The questions buzzed around her head until she finally reached the basement floor, where she gently placed her laptop in its tote bag and tried to concentrate on her work. Looking up at the screen, she tried to write a code to update the system, but couldn't make her fingers work. Sighing, Rhiana pushed the keyboard away and rested her forehead against the table. Hearing the elevator ding, Rhiana knew who it was.

"Go away, Tim," she grumbled and heard a foam cup be placed on the table.

"He didn't want to bother you," Gibbs said and Rhiana sat up quickly. Eyeing the cup of coffee, Rhiana grabbed for it and took a drink; the caffeine was put to work quick as it calmed her nerves.

"What's going to happen?"

"Your friend is pulling strings to get us Isaac Boggs brought in for questioning. This should be over quickly," Jethro said and Rhiana sighed; she couldn't take much more. Gathering her things, Rhiana slung her satchel over her shoulder and entered the elevator where Gibbs followed her. Not speaking as they got off at the floor Tim's station was on, Rhiana walked past everyone and into the opposite elevators, closing everyone off as she hit the 'Close' button for the doors.

Exiting on the ground floor, Rhiana walked towards the parking garage, and soon heard Tim calling after her. Ignoring his words, Rhiana got into the elevators there and closed the elevator doors on him again. Cowering against the back wall, Rhiana sank to the floor and hugged her knees to her, trying to hold back her tears as they clung to her eyelashes. "Why am I their target?" she asked herself and felt the elevator come to a stop on the floor that her car was parked on, but she didn't move as the doors opened, revealing an exhausted and in pain Tim as he held his head.

"Rhiana, where are you going? I don't have a ride home, remember?" he asked and Rhiana just looked up at him, tears ruining her make up as she shied away from him.

"Go away," she whispered and saw Tim sit down beside her, resting as he talked with her.

"Rhiana… Rhia… look at me. Whoever is doing this has to know you on some level. Someone you met for a moment or someone you've known for years. Cyber crime is just as bad as murder," Tim said and Rhiana hugged her laptop closer.

"How could they know about my laptop? How did they know about my brother? I haven't told anyone but you and everyone at NCIS. They're people I trust, Tim, how do I know _who_ to trust?" Rhiana cried and Tim put an arm around her shoulder.

"You can trust me, Rhia," Tim whispered to her and the doors opened again to reveal Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs. Rhiana stood slowly, wiping away tears and smiling slightly. As she walked out of the elevators, Gibbs smacked Tim in the back of the head, despite the painful headaches it would induce.

----

Rhiana composed herself and sat down in front of her laptop; she _would_ figure out who was doing this to her. Reminded of Tim's words about cyber crime, she began comparing Boggs and the student. "There's nothing connecting them, they don't even know each other. One is good at crime; the other is good at computers. They were both paid cash to commit their crimes, but by _who_?" Rhiana asked herself as she sat in the side office they had been in earlier. The only one with her was Tim, who was there incase someone else had been paid to hack her computer.

"It has to be someone you know, Rhiana," McGee suggested and Rhiana thought about it for a second; the ones who knew about her laptop was the NCIS team, her co-workers in the basement, Elizabeth and her FBI team; and Tommy…

"Tommy Jenkins…" she whispered and instantly had access to his file at the FBI. There they were; the charges were clear as day.

"Who are you talking about?" Tim asked and Rhiana swiveled her laptop so that McGee could see what she was looking at. He jumped up and called everyone into the room so Rhiana could have a few witnesses to her story.

"Tommy, the one who drops off my laptops; he's the only one with enough inside information _and_ money to do this to me. If you notice, this didn't start until you and I began seeing each other, _right after_ Benny's murder. It all fits because Tommy had asked me out one time and I turned him down. He became so depressed I thought he was going to hurt himself, so I offered to be 'just friends'. Then, one day, he shows up at my door with a bouquet of roses.

"I didn't say anything to him, afraid he'd push himself down into that pit of despair again. This went on for another two weeks until Benny was murdered. Tommy would send card after card, sympathizing how he was sorry for my loss. Then the cards stopped coming, the roses stopped being dropped off, and Tommy just dropped off from my radar until he would drop off my laptops," Rhiana said and Elizabeth was immediately on her cellphone, calling Tommy's employer.

"They said he never returned back to work. The LoJack in the delivery van places him at Tim's home address," she said and Rhiana thought about it.

"Are their delivery vans dark in color?" Elizabeth relayed the question and nodded.

"Midnight blue, why?" Tony and Ziva looked at one another.

"The van!" they said and Elizabeth was confused.

"What are you talking about?" Rhiana stood to explain.

"There was a dark colored van sitting across the street when Tim was attacked. I guarantee that Tommy was the one driving it," Rhiana said and Elizabeth inquired once again to Tommy's boss, waited a moment, and nodded.

"The records show that he _was_ outside your home address the night of the attack. But we have to get to Tommy before he destroys something," Elizabeth and Gibbs was the first to exit the room.

"Tony, Ziva, you're with me. Agent Khushrenada, take your team and meet us at McGee's house. Rhiana, you and McGee are to stay _here_! Go to Abby's lab and stay put until we get back!" Jethro shouted and everyone dashed to follow orders.


	8. Chapter 8

NCIS

"So it was the creepy delivery guy? Wow, that kinda sucks," Abby said and Rhiana sighed unhappily.

"Yeah, Tommy was just a cool person to see every now and again. But I guess he took it a little too far," Rhiana grumbled and watched Abby work on a completely different case. McGee noticed her boredom and offered to play a game.

"Willing to play Call of Duty 4?" Tim asked and removed his laptop that he had brought with him, waggling the game case at Rhiana who instantly perked up at the mention of the game.

"You're on, McGeek," Rhiana said playfully as she loaded the game up on her computer as well. Abby just smiled as she heard the two arguing almost instantly as the game progressed.

----

Jethro peered at McGee's broken door and motioned the agents forward. Ziva dashed to the other side of the door, observing the living room before clearing it with Gibbs. Tony moved in first, clearing the familiar living room and then continuing into the bedroom. Gibbs and the FBI agents weaved through the house, clearing it as they went to each room one by one. "He's not here, boss," Tony said and heard the fire escape rattling. Gibbs was the quickest to respond.

"He's on the fire escape! Cut him off!" Gibbs said into the radio and got confirmed street sightings.

"I've got him!" they heard Elizabeth shout as the group exited onto the sidewalk. Elizabeth sprinted down the alley, gaining ground as she went. "Halt, FBI!" Elizabeth announced and began to draw her weapon as she saw an opportunity. Holstering her service weapon, Elizabeth launched herself across the short space and tackled Tommy to the ground. Swiftly, Elizabeth handcuffed him and made him stand. Gibbs and the others rushed towards them as Agent Khushrenada read him his rights.

"She loved _me_! Not that idiot NCIS agent! I was the one that sent her roses, not _him_!" Tommy shouted and Jethro pushed him into the car. Tony sighed as he called Abby's lab, surprised when he heard arguing.

"_You blew me up, Tim! That's cheating! I said no grenades!"_ Rhiana shouted over the phone. Tony cringed as he heard Abby silence them.

"Abby, we caught Tommy. You can tell our prisoners that they can leave," Tony said and heard small arguments again.

"_Okay, Tony, at least it will get their Call of Duty 4 butts out of my lab!"_ Abby said, but in a lighthearted tone. He heard accusations in the background as he hung up the phone. Getting a strange look from Gibbs, Tony shrugged and the two teams loaded up and returned to NCIS.

----

Sighing, Rhiana packed her laptop in its satchel and finished the code up quickly. Running a hand through her hair, Rhiana waved good night to her colleagues and entered the elevator. Feeling the elevator stop on the morgue's floor, Rhiana saw Ducky. "Hello, Miss Stoller, I can guess your day ended well?" he asked and Jimmy walked in behind him.

"Well, after getting stalked by an obsessed friend and then them getting arrested, I'd say the day went pretty well," she said and Ducky laughed lightly. He began another one of his stories when the elevator stopped on the work station floor.

"Another time then, Agent Stoller?" he asked and Rhiana waved.

"Sure, Ducky," she said and walked over to the group of NCIS agents, Abby included. "Hey, I'm having a small party at my house, who wants to join me?" she asked openly and every hand shot up, especially Tony's, since he knew that she had an extensive movie collection at her disposal.

"I can actually come this time?" Abby asked and Rhiana nodded as she walked over to the Goth and looped an arm through Abby's elbow.

"Of course, if you're into playing multiplayer Call of Duty 4," Rhiana laughed and saw Gibbs walked towards the elevator. "Are you not going to join us, Agent Gibbs?" Rhiana asked and everyone looked towards him.

"Not this time, Agent Stoller," he said and entered the elevator. Rhiana raised an eyebrow and the group caught the next elevator down. Walking to their individual vehicles, Abby detached herself from Rhiana's arm and promised to see her soon. Tony and Ziva disappeared as well, leaving McGee and Rhiana.

"Seriously, we're having a CoD 4 tournament?" Tim asked as they got off on the right floor.

"Yeah, what's so bad about that? Oh, crap, I have to call Elizabeth, too!" Rhiana said suddenly and hit the speed dial for her friend. "Hey, Zi, are you up for playing Call of Duty at my house? I'm bringing a few friends for a small celebration party," she explained and squealed at Elizabeth's answer. "Okay, I'll see you in thirty minutes." Rhiana hung up the phone as she unlocked her Camaro and slid into the driver's seat.

----

Arriving at her own house, Rhiana saw that her driveway was full and she smiled. Parking, Rhiana and McGee got out of the vehicle and entered her house; she had also given Elizabeth a key. Spying that Tony and Ziva were watching another movie, she also saw that Abby and Elizabeth had set up their laptops on the kitchen table.

"Are you ready to get squished?" Elizabeth asked as everyone booted up the game.

"Bring it on," Rhiana challenged and the game began.


End file.
